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To many support staff . Been there done that .

I went to Pratt. And there was always an undercurrent of thought that because it was by BedStuy and Fort Green (before it was bougie) that the mob propped up the school cause it would have cratered their property values if the school had closed its doors. If I've to do it again, two or three art classes is enough. Screw MFA

I am so grateful that my mam gave me a reality check when I finished high school, I briefly had considered doing fine art but chose to do computer engineering. Almost 15 years since then, I've moved countries twice on my own dime, bought a house with no mortgage and have continued to write and paint to my hearts content. (Granted the IT market also isn't what it used to be and I am lucky to have been born in a 3rd world country where universities are free)

you verbalized the anxiety i feel as someone currently pursuing a bfa in painting !!!

Mel, I just discovered your channel, watched most of your videos, and am instantly impressed with your thoughtful analysis of all the topics you cover, your engaging speaking and written script style, and your Art! Your video’s are SO full of content (that one would not expect to find just by looking at the thumbnail). I can fully appreciate how much work goes into making each video. You “sold”me, with your authentic demeanor and genuine caring, to go make some purchases to support your efforts! I am not sure how you got on my TH-cam feed (I am an art-educated mother of artistic teens..), but I am glad so you appeared in my life! I hope you can sustain the effort this all takes - all the best! ❤

Loved this video. Do you have any recommendations for doing this alone? I keep thinking I want to go out and explore on my own but coming from latin America, being a woman alone in the bush is a big no for my genes.

Your friends were getting offered jobs at illustration firms? What’s an illustration firm? Even design houses would make more sense but that’s graphic design, different from illustration. Fully agree with a lot of what you’re saying, but I think you have the wrong idea about how well students of the applied arts are being set up for post-uni life. We’re also getting no business training, and the market is horrendous.

I like the idea of romanticising the writing and the art making. That jargon is so dry, unevocative and sterile. It’s weird because artists and art are anything but boring most of the time. I subscribed to Artforum for a while but I unsubscribed because the writing was so removed from the art and art making: The writing was about other unrelated ideas and using the art at hand as some sort of pretext. Also too many lists of cities LOL. Thanks for the video and thanks for inviting us in your new reflexions, it’s very exciting. Also : Do you like Jerry Saltz? He writes about art but I’m not sure it « art writing ». I like what he does.

Art is learned through practice. At most at an attelier/workshop. It shouldn't be a degree. That's a scam. I learned everything I know by myself and with online courses/workshops.

I remember getting an associates in photography and all my professors wanted me to get BFA and Masters. I was a non-traditional student and my mind was questioning how I could go to a school catered to people who don’t work. I kept asking how I was going to fund my housing. No one had a straight answer for me. So I only have an associates and it’s deemed not enough because I was too poor to take on more debt.

What's the obsession with studying in the United States? Goldsmiths in London charges around $25,000 a year for overseas students, so you'd be saving $1000s there. Meanwhile the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris charges less than $500 a year no matter what country you're from or what courses you want to do. Yes, $500. Of course you need French to B2 standard minimum (in British terms that's basically A Level French). Even I have French to that level. If I can do it, anyone can. My advice: if you want to study fine art, take a close look at the opportunities out there ー worldwide. PS: how did that professor even know you were working a job? Don't tell him!

Great video! I'm a former design professor (12 years at two well-known programs) who also worked as a UX designer in tech for 30 years. A few things: I'm a boomer and want to say to the "let them eat cake" commenters of my generation that everything she says in this video is 100% accurate. Her program price tags are correct, too! I had to get out of teaching because (1) I couldn't afford to keep working there and (2) I saw the creeping bind they/we put students in over the past 20 years and couldn't be party to it anymore. The "ideal" of being an art professor? Hah! The average pay range across the country is $50k-90k with the average (USBLS) being $62k. Unfortunately, pay is still worse for women in academia. My last salary as a design senior leader in enterprise literally paid 5 times what my tenure-track position did. She mentions that her friends in "Applied Arts" like product design fared better. That's mostly going to be true, but please know that most design programs haven't been able to keep up with industry changes over the past 20 years and are still playing "curriculum catch-up" to teach the skills employers are looking for. Nonetheless, these employers want people with bachelors degrees. Some roles now require a masters. Also, design roles in tech can pay well, but it is a volatile field with 7-10 year employment cycles. Right now, we are in a low cycle: more than 500,000 tech-design-development workers were laid off last year. Before you go to any design school for a BFA, be sure to check: 1. Does most of the faculty have real experience in industry within the past 10-15 years? 2. Does the program hire adjunct faculty who make their living from regular jobs in industry? 3. For user experience design programs, does the program have a required business course, a couple required social research courses, and information/data science or computer electives? UX is a hybrid discipline and you should have knowledge/skill in these related areas if you expect to find a high-paying role. 4. If you visit the school or interview with faculty, ask what ties each person has to industry. What professional networks do they regularly engage with? Who are they connected to on LinkedIn? Is there internship placement support? One last note: the recent grads I know who are doing best got liberal arts degrees! Stay with me here. They supplemented their coursework with "applied" studio arts, business, or engineering electives and then made sure to work an internship or two while in school (either paid or for course credit-never work for free, people!). These students entered the job market as educated self-learners with job experience who could take on more diverse opportunities. Remember, applied degree programs of today can't train you for "jobs of tomorrow" that don't yet exist. But, a well-rounded education makes you adaptable and gives you an edge no matter what happens to the economy.

I'm glad my college art-related course at my country had a business related subject. I basically learned how to open commissions and write a proper contract. Really helped me a lot. Edit: It helped me sell my first artwork because we held an exhibit ;;

I live in Germany, so I at least don't have to struggle with dystopian amounts of college tuition fees. However, our uni tries to compensate this with insane investment costs (mandatory Adobe cloud, we have to buy and bring our own electronic devices, etc.) compared to other majors at our uni that get parts of their equipment provided for them by our school. Another problem is the decline of recognition of art/design related jobs here, as those professions are seen as a decadent hobby instead of "real jobs". The real nail in the coffin for me was our new shit head principal axing funds for our major only and firing staff so she has more money to offer "generative AI" courses..... Being an artist/designer or even architect sucks wherever you go right now. I feel like there's this streamline-ification going on where everything requiring human spirit and creativity is replaced by AI to save money while the most soul-draining office or physical labor jobs are given to people instead...

You speak truth, but I only want some of these actions in place if we can't just... Change the way we run the world overall. College is irrationally expensive, but we could solve much of this by subsidizing it through taxes, and establishing both a stronger social saftey net & higher marginal tax rate on the upper 1% of income brackets, alongside a UBI, guaranteed housing, healthcare, and food for everyone with a SSN. Y'know, like how some of our slightly more civilized neighbors (or the attempts that our neighbors we ravaged with war) have been doing for a while.

I went to art school in the UK and was lucky enough to graduate in the last year before tuition fees went bananas. I paid it off without much fuss. If I was a kid now considering an art degree I would run a fucking mile, learn a trade and paint in my spare time. It simply isn't worth it anymore.

nearly clicked off with that intro 🤣 all that was missing was over quoting Derrida.

Love this video, commenting to boost the algo!

I graduated from a For-Profit Art College in 1998. It was the Art Institute of Seattle (now defunkt). My (prettymuch worthless) AS degree is is Computer Animation - or Animation Arts, however you want to put it. This degree has helped me gain only minimal and (low-paying) art jobs in the past. So I suppose it wasn't completely worthless. My life took a big turn when I stopped looking for art related jobs and (was desperate) and willing to take anything. I got a job in Aerospace Manufacturing, doing warehousing type work. While not art - it pays incredibly well and lets me life a good life. Did Art College help me and are Art Colleges scams? I think For-Profit Art Colleges are most likely scams and a waste of money and loans. You can get equivalent training in University or Community College if you look at their offerings and negotiate a bit. Be open to taking Non-art related work, train into a trade or other type pf job profession, while keeping art as a side hustle. That is my life wisdom.

I am autistic, and art school always spoke to me because I have a hard time formulating my own schedule while working full-time. That and I live in a smaller area. There are artists but few and far-between, and many of them are being pushed out because the opportunities aren't matching the cost of our biggest city. There's times when I don't make art at all, from being so tired. But the state of these institutions depresses me. But going at it on my own scares me. I don't really know what to do.

Schools were meant to teach and learn to become those said jobs or career positions in society unfortunately over time through history has become with due time schools for brainwashing or weaponization of the children against their parents…. In the end it was meant to fail. Be the path, create you own art. Don’t allow anyone to tell you what to do but learn from the mean of life and your arduous journey. Thanks to all and Hi! I pray success to all those artist who love art and do good things instead of the few elites hypocrites never let those inside our community and be destroyed by then don’t be manipulated. 😊

Wow damn im feeling excited and inspired about art now. I love how the desktop paintings you made are so relatable but also kind of outdated. I used to use my laptop for literally everything and now i hardly touch it. That could be just me but it brings me nostalgia. The way i was tought to write about art feels like justifying the arts existence instead of exploring my own motivations. I make self portraits. I dont know why. Thats kind of interesting in itself right? Like weird. My self portaits are so personal and yet I cant be vulnerable about them in my writing? Thats so bizzarre. I think art writing doesnt account for the art processes that an artist doesnt choose, but instead intuits. Why are the curtains blue? Im sure theres a reason but ill make one up that sounds nice for my artist statement. 🙃

Youre right i do jave seething resentment. Im painting right now and i work at a restaraunt and see no way ill ever make money by painting. It feels like the money just went down the tubes. I dont even know where to start with selling my art.

Americans would do anything apart from accepting they need some socialism:))

Indeed the harsh truth about art school or design school is teaches you how to be a worker, not telling you how to do the art business. Regarding "unpaid job" I got several times when I was working at a design agency, that's why I broke that hell job and found my own to search for people who really value and appreciate my work. Thanks for sharing this story, this story needs to spread out

I’m Mexican, wen’t one year to art school wanting to learn illustration, oh boi was it a bad Idea, dropped out and changed majors, It was all the art cliche you can Imagine, seeing paper bags over mirrors win art competitions was excruciating, and the politics, flattery and adulation was insane, my 18 year old punky self couldn’t handle all the boot licking. Now I make web pages and draw on the side 😂😂😂

Well said. A lot of your points apply equally to the music world, especially the "classical" music world.

No money in art, kid. Don’t waste your cash, get a booth on Venice Beach and sell your wares.

Because art school is a joke

🎨🖼♠Someone should start opening guild studios... fck

Don’t go to art school. The artist you are can’t be taught. Live a bit of life with an open mind, have kids, do what you need to do to feed your family. Throughout it all, draw and paint what’s around you or make your crafts. Share it online. Master your trade and your artist will emerge. It can’t be forced anyway. Then use the Internet to tell the world about your unique brilliance. It takes a bit longer this way but at least it’s a route to fulfilment.

Years ago, I wrote articles promoting student artwork at the AAU galleries in SF. I made an effort to resist the jargon and embrace the artwork, with varying success. Artspeak is seductive, especially when your boss is reading your copy. I was the egghead, and artspeak was kung-fu. Now I just shut up and make my own stuff. Much happier! 😃

Some people in this world have something called vanity jobs and vanity degrees to go with it. Meaning they are independently wealthy and they have businesses that lose $5000 a month. Or they can afford to take on jobs that we as normies see as prestigious but is chump change in the grand scheme of things. The art world is full of these people.

The cost benefit analysis is that you get the student's rich parents to pay for it and the heritage foundation loses a 300K donation. That's the only way, otherwise please discourage students from paying for their own arts education :) I know I plan to once I work in academia haha

Excellent! I needed to hear that !

I'm not in the art world at all and I did not realize how much more expensive art school is than just like "normal" college. $77k a year is CRAZY. College in general is really expensive, but in-state tuition at an expensive state school in California is about $13k, out-of-state is about $40k, and Stanford is freakin $58k! $77k is highway robbery!

I don't get the fear of A I at least in terms of being an artist. People who are interested in what I make arent looking for products they're interested in me. My energy. My passion. And what that creates. Art speak doesn't sell work you do.

This made me so angry. You have to *pay* upfront to be part of exhibitions? You have to frame your work on your own? What the fuck??? Like, without you and other people like you the exhibition wouldn't even EXIST. I'm sure the hosting institution steals half of your profits anyway as commission. This is disgusting. As an art consumer, it's so absolutely sad that you have to dumb your work down to market yourself. I'm being marketed to enough as it is. I don't fucking want art to try and gain mass appeal and marketability, too. I'm interested in what the artist has to say and they shouldn't have to change it to make it more palatable to me. That's not challenging. That shouldn't be what art is about. It's just... Capitalism, man. Swallowing every last good thing up. We need artist unions. We need adjunct professor unions. We need universal basic income. We need PUBLIC higher education, because education is a value in itself. Instead, you have to weigh every educational decision against the priviledge of having a roof over your head in a decade. Also, the way these private school tuitions, thousand dollar textbooks and research paper paywalls rob underpriviledged artists of their voices is truly abhorrent.

"Yet often what the reproductions make accessible, a text begins to make inaccessible. What might become part of our language is jealously guarded and kept within the narrow preserves of the art expert " from Ways of Seeing by John Berger, which art professors often use as a baseline for students to understand this fucking art world jargon

Excellent video. I would not change a thing. Art and words share a common characteristic in that the untrained majority understand only a sliver of each. Research and immersion into any subject opens the mind. Let’s not cater to the common denominator (exclusivity is valuable albeit unpalatable.) - Velvet Buzzsaw is one of my favorite black comedies that explores an art scene that finally appreciates the scope and gravity of blood, sweat and tears shed by an artist who knows the world isn’t ready.

Yes to all of this. The exclusionary language has always been a feature not a bug to keep art inaccessible. Rich curators and gallery owners don't want the working class to participate because it threatens the perceived value of their kind of art. The rich want to sit in their ivory towers looking down on the "plebeians" for their lack of intellect and good taste.

I've watched quite a few of your later videos and I loved them and I'm so glad that you don't have music playing in the background in your later videos. I really wanted to watch this one, but I just can't listen to a narration if there is agitating music (or any music, really) in the background.

I would love to learn to use procreate layers to make art. I can’t figure it out. I can draw on it, and that’s it. Thank you so much for the video ❤

They became babysitting sites for rich kids and stopped actually teaching art, their prices became untenable, and in the UK's instance became reliant on foreign students. The house of cards were going to collapse; call it market correction.

can you explain what you mean by opaque language? like examples of books or other writings? is it mostly a problem with writing on modern art or is this more broad? I have been reading alot of art history books from my college library and i find most of them fairly easy to understand. I mostly read about stuff from before the 20th century though. would you consider something like Edwin Mullins' The Painted Witch to be opaque writing?

Artist as well as a curator and collection manager here. My take on why the art speak still reigns is simply that it’s the norm, nothing else. I really dislike it, it comes off as utter BS, and I won’t write that way and strongly discourage artists to make statements for their shows with us in that form of writing. I work at a University in a very public space, and see my job as being the anti-gatekeeper, in both what we show and how we talk about it.

I'm an art education major, thank you for reminding me to slow down and be deliberate. I want to slow down and focus on one piece at a time rather than overwhelming myself with how I want to be perceived as an artist and whether I will make money doing it.

I also went to art school and I can say for certain that all of my academic classes (especially for my freshman and sophomore years) were just me outright skipping the readings after a while, in the beginning, I really tried to do my due diligence but I quickly gave up because I could not grasp any concepts that the readings were meant to communicate. I pretty much relied on someone else 'dumbing down' the reading so I could understand it whenever we reviewed them in class. Which is sad because art history and theory have a lot of interesting topics but it's sad that the academic texts were pretty much illegible for me ADHD aside. I wish we just got rid of the super pretentious lingo and make it so anybody can understand not everything needs to be a 5 page intensive thesis.

An art school isn't charging for its education...it's charging you for its networking. It's a class issue (no pun intended) you get to meet like-minded people belonging to wealthy backgrounds. Their dads and moms have friends in high places. So not only are you friends with your future employer's child, the university itself gets you into contact with various companies because even they have friends in high places. It's sad but true

As a sculptor, my favorite thing is the cube or tube that has a full-page essay that defines it. No features, no form, no commitment to an idea, except for an essay that could be swapped for twenty others and no one could tell.